


Band-Aid Covers the Bullet Hole

by badgerling



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-19
Updated: 2012-02-19
Packaged: 2017-10-31 11:14:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/343439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badgerling/pseuds/badgerling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They said he couldn't contact the Carter and Jackson from his world. They probably should have been specific about the Daniel from this one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Band-Aid Covers the Bullet Hole

There was actually a list of places Cameron never actually thought he'd end up. 'Other planets' was, of course, at the top of that list, but so was Egypt. He wasn't even sure why he was there now, beyond the fact that They won't let him talk to his team, They won't even let him know where Carter and Jackson are, and maybe Cameron was feeling rebellious. Pushing the limit, wanting to know how far he could go before They started pushing back.

Considering he never actually thought he'd get a passport, let alone actually book and make a flight out of the country, he thought he was getting pretty close to that edge, but until someone walked out of the Egyptian morning wearing a government-approved black suit, he wasn't going anywhere. And maybe not even then. Once upon a time, he liked following orders. He was military, that was what he did, but that was before this place, this time, this world where he didn't exist.

Where he wasn't, technically, military anymore.

Where the people in charge wouldn't let him talk to the two people who might actually understand what it was like.

A phone call once or twice a week might have prevented this. Maybe. As it was, he got a monthly stipend (mostly to assure that he wasn't so desperate for money that he'd sell his story to the tabloids), a passport, and he actually got to be himself. Cameron Mitchell didn't exist, after all, so he could still be Cameron Mitchell. He didn't even know what assumed names Carter and Jackson got, no one would tell him that either.

Cameron had done his best to adjust to this world. He'd read up on the computer failure that had cost Samantha Carter her life in this timeline, read up on all of this world's Daniel Jackson's not-really-so-crazy theories, but that had only kept him occupied for a couple of weeks, and he'd started poking at his handlers. Cameron liked to believe that he had annoyed them into giving him the passport, and the day it arrived, he booked the trip to Egypt.

On a whim. Not even sure why, beyond remembering what this world's Landry had said about Daniel being in Egypt, and the rules said that he couldn't contact his Jackson and Carter, they said nothing about the Daniel Jackson that actually belonged here. Finding the hotel wasn't actually that hard. Cheap, out of the way, a place where scientists go when they're sick of tents and camp food.

A long shot, Cameron knew that, but it would keep him off the radar for a little bit, give him a little time where he's not being watched or having his phones tapped or being followed.

He'd dumped his baggage off in the small corner room he'd rented for the week, and he made his way down to the hotel bar, mostly because he had no idea where to start or even if he was going to be That Guy -- the creepy stalker who hunted down the alternate timeline version of the guy he had been a little in love with since day one. But then he already was kind of that guy, considering he was in Egypt, sitting in the same hotel he remembered being listed as Daniel Jackson's last permanent residence before he'd joined the Stargate program in his world.

That was the realization that kept Cameron firmly rooted to the stool in the hotel bar, drinking beer that didn't really taste like beer and had a higher alcohol content than most considering the buzz he was already getting off of one beer. Maybe he should just enjoy his time away, relax, not make a complete ass of himself after only being in this timeline for three months, but all thoughts of that disappeared when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Water, please. Bottle," Daniel said as he sat down on the stool that was three down from Cameron, and the words were simple. Simple, and they still sent a shiver through Cameron's body that made his breath catch and his heart jump, both at the same time. He cut his eyes to where Daniel was, taking in the longer hair, the thicker glasses, the clothes that had been mended more times than was probably healthy. He was hunched over, scribbling in a journal, mouthing the words as he wrote. So different from the Daniel Cameron remembered, but when he looked up, meeting Cameron's eyes and immediately looked at him with suspicion and wariness, Cameron could see the similarities.

Cameron offered a tight smile, forcing himself to look away, to focus his eyes on the bottles lined up behind the bar as the bartender brought Daniel his bottle of water and Cameron ordered another bottle of beer he didn't need. His attempts to keep from staring at Daniel weren't working, because his eyes kept tracking back over him, taking in all the little differences, all the similarities. He held himself differently, less sure of himself, but more focused at the same time, and Cameron had really only seen his Jackson like this when he was in the middle of some big discovery.

"Stop," the word was forceful, and it made Cameron shake his head as he realized he'd been staring at Daniel so hard and so long that the other man had really noticed. Honestly, if not for the beer (or that's what he told himself anyway, or maybe it was the fact this wasn't _his_ Jackson), Cameron never really would have been this bold. Jackson had that kind of effect on him, making him feel like a stupid teenager sometimes, but as the bartender brought him his other beer, he moved from his stool to the one next to Daniel.

"Sorry. It's just...you look _exactly_ like someone I used to know," Cameron said, actually smiling at his own little private joke, which probably wasn't the best idea since it only made Daniel roll his eyes.

"Well, I can assure you that I'm not who you think I am, so stop staring and get away," Daniel replied, closing his journal forcefully. Cameron narrowed his eyes as he watched him, taking note of the suddenly defensive posture, and knew, absolutely, for certain _knew_ , that this was what happened when Daniel's life work got ridiculed every day, all day by everyone. He cleared his throat and offered his hand.

"Look, we got off on the wrong foot. Colonel Cameron Mitchell, United States Air Force." Old habit, really, one he had been told to stop doing since Cameron Mitchell did not and never would serve in the Air Force, and it was obviously the wrong thing to say since Daniel's posture suddenly became both defensive and guarded and there was a little bit of hostility in his eyes now, enough that Cameron held his hand up in surrender. "Friends call me Cameron. Cam, if you want," he said, trying to smooth things over.

"I don't know why you're here, Colonel, nor do I care. I'm not publishing anything, possibly ever again, so there's no need to give me anymore talks about classified information and how aliens do not and never have existed," Daniel said, his shoulders sagging as he looked away from Cameron, gathering his journal and his bottle of water, obviously intending to be anywhere but sitting right next to someone in the military.

Cameron remained silent at first, watching as Daniel got up and stepped away, heading across the mostly empty bar for the door before he said, "Don't know why I'd tell you that, since they do exist." He winced as he said that, turning back to the bar, already kicking himself. He was getting close to talking about all that stuff he signed a nondisclosure agreement saying he wasn't going to talk about. He kept his eyes on the bottles again, not wanting to watch Daniel storm out.

"Are you telling me that as a member of the Air Force or are you fucking with me?" Daniel's voice sounded closer than Cameron would have expected, and he turned around to find Daniel standing abnormally close.

"Technically, I'm not in the Air Force anymore," Cameron said, trying to fix what he'd said wrong and maybe get rid of some of that lingering hostility and caution in Daniel's eyes. He shrugged. "Discharged three months ago." He laughed softly and a little bitterly. "Dishonorable." Which was close enough to the truth. "But I'm not fucking with you."

The caution didn't disappear, but the hostility started to fade, and he took the stool next to Cameron again. He was still watching Cameron warily, like he was expecting an attack, be it verbal or physical, but he placed his journal and water back on the bar and folded his hands in his lap as he turned on the stool to face Cameron.

"Alright. Let's say that I believe a word that you just said. Why are you here?" See, Cameron didn't have an answer to that, at least not one that sounded remotely intelligent and not like a creepy stalker, which he knew was exactly what he was.

"Vacation. Needed to get away, and figured Egypt? Might be far enough," Cameron replied with a shrug. That too was close enough to the truth. Far enough away from the people making sure he didn't spill national secrets, far enough away from friends he couldn't contact but but never stopped thinking about. Daniel's head canted, his brows creased like he was trying to figure Cameron out.

"You came all the way to Egypt because you were _running away_ from something?" He lifted his eyebrows as he finished that question, like he still couldn't really believe anything Cameron was telling him. Cameron shrugged, taking a drink from his beer, closing his eyes for a moment as he let the alcohol burn down his throat.

"Hey, some people confront their problems, some people _can't_ , Sunshine," Cameron said, wincing immediately again at using that nickname. That too was habit. Daniel sounded so much like Jackson that it was hard not to respond to him like he would the other man. Daniel's eyebrows went up a little higher at that. "What? You're bright and cheerful, it fits," Cameron said in response, tilting his head and offering a smile. "Besides, I don't know your name, so..."

Daniel was still looking at him like he'd just grown a second and third head, but he cleared his throat and offered his hand. "Doctor Daniel Jackson." This time, Daniel actually smiled, just a little, "Friends call me Daniel." Cameron smiled back and nodded.

"Daniel. Right. So what are _you_ doing here, and what does it have to do with aliens and the Air Force?" He tried not to smile at that, tried not to let on that he knew what Daniel was doing, that he wasn't really as crazy as he sounded. Daniel looked at him, suspicion flooding back into his eyes, but he shook it off before glancing at the bartender. He picked up his journal and his bottle of water again and stood up. This time he gestured for Cameron to follow him to a table in the corner.

Away prying eyes and ears, obviously, and Cameron followed with his beer, taking the seat where he could watch both the door and the bar, just in case. Daniel laid his things down and opened his journal, paging through it until he came to a set of drawings. Egyptian gods. Cameron might not have been able to name them all, but he recognized some of them from Jackson's own notes in mission reports from years back. He looked from the drawings back up to Daniel, and he saw more of the Jackson he knew in the defiant, stubborn look.

"I think the Egyptian gods were aliens who used the Pyramids for landing pads for their spaceships. Gigantic spaceships," Daniel said, his voice matter-of-fact and challenging all at the same time. Like he was daring Cameron to make fun of him, and Cameron couldn't help but smile at that expression. Which just made Daniel exhale and clench his jaw as he slammed the journal shut again. "Look-..." But the words died in his throat as Cameron reached out, taking Daniel's wrist to stop him from moving.

"So you think aliens built the Pyramids?" Cameron tried to make his voice serious and curious and completely innocent, not like he already knew the answer, not like he hadn't already heard the lecture, over and over again. Daniel huffed at that question, staring down at Cameron's hand on his wrist for a moment before pulling away.

"No. Nowhere in that statement did I say that," Daniel said, rubbing his hand over the spot where Cameron had been holding. "I think humans built them, under orders from...Ra, maybe. Or Osiris. I mean, if you consider that there are no other large pyramids like the ones at Giza, that they would have been smooth both inside and out, with no markings or signs of writing at all, it seems like they obviously had some other use aside from burial chambers. The stones are too heavy for simple labor, slave or otherwise, and they come from quarries that are miles and miles from the actual construction site."

Despite having heard that all before, the sight of Daniel getting worked up about something actually made Cameron smile. Really smile for what felt like the first time in months. "You're crazy, you know that, right?" His smile never died, and his voice sounded more friendly than cruel, but Daniel still looked guarded, his mouth open slightly, before he shook his head. He rubbed a hand over his face, and it took Cameron a second to notice the way Daniel's shoulders were shaking.

The fact that Daniel was laughing actually made Cameron relax and laugh along with him. Daniel shook his head again and took his glasses off as he looked around the bar. "No, really. I could show you all of this and more," Daniel's laughter faded, and he sniffed slightly. "If they'd actually let me back on the dig." When he smiled this time, it was more self-conscious that anything as he pushed his glasses back on.

Cameron sat back in his chair, just looking at Daniel. Really looking at him. He actually looked younger than the Jackson he knew. Maybe it was the lack of laugh lines, or the lack of gray in his hair, or the fact that this Daniel hadn't died and come back a couple of times. That could age a man quick. He realized he was staring again, but when Daniel looked at him again, Cameron didn't look away. He just met his eyes with a slight smile.

"Crazy," Cameron said softly, "But not wrong." He cleared his throat, finally looking away, looking back at the bar, out the door, anywhere but at Daniel. This was dangerous ground for a lot of reasons. Not just because of his circumstances, but national security and Daniel's safety as well. He doubted this Daniel Jackson had ever held his own in a fire fight, and that made him weirdly protective and possessive of the man. He looked back at him to find Daniel staring at him with a look that was both fear and curiousity, like Cameron had just handed him the Holy Grail.

Shit.

"I don't have proof," he said, quickly, just needing to get that hopeful look off Daniel's face before Cameron ended up killing every hope and dream this Daniel had. "I shouldn't have even said anything, but I just. You're a lot closer to the truth than you realize." Daniel was looking at him in confusion again, his brow knitted together like there was just something about Cameron he couldn't figure out. "Keep at it. Maybe in a couple of years, you'll be getting a call from the Navy looking for help." Since Cameron doubt his Jackson would ever be brought into this world's Stargate program.

Daniel's confusion only got worse as he said, "Navy?"

"See, that's what I said!" Cameron was back to smiling, but it was a little more forced than it had been before. Cameron made a show of checking his watch, then looking back at Daniel before reaching out and tapping the journal. "I'm keeping you from work." He stood up, biting his lip for a moment as he looked at Daniel again, meeting his eyes as the other man watched him closely, back to being cautious. "Um. Look, I'm in Room 209 for the week. If you want to stop by."

He nodded at that, forcing himself to walk out of that bar and not look back because he wasn't entirely sure what he would do if he did. He was alternating between kicking himself for even saying that much about Daniel's theories and kicking himself for not just pushing Daniel up against the wall and having his way with him, something that would have gotten them both in a hell of a lot of trouble, but would have been worth it. He stepped out into the bright sunlight, figuring he would never see this (or any) Daniel Jackson ever again.

He spent the next couple of days roaming the city, visiting the markets, brushing up on his Arabic which had gotten rusty since he started hearing just Goa'uld and Ancient all the time, trying not to think too much about what Daniel (either of them) was doing, whether Carter had found something to do with her life or if she was dying from just as much boredom as he was. It didn't really work, though he found himself dwelling more on Daniel, the Daniel that belonged here, than was really necessary.

Sitting by the window of his room, Cameron had always convinced himself that maybe he should just go find Daniel himself. That that might be better than sitting and waiting, knowing how stubborn Daniel could be. It was one of his most enduring and endearing traits, after all, but before he could get up to actually put his boots on, there was a knock at his hotel room door. He was expecting housekeeping, but when he opened the door to find Daniel standing there in cargo pants and a shirt that was roughly two sizes too big, Cameron was actually left speechless.

Which Daniel obviously took as an invitation to both step inside the room as well as launch immediately into whatever it was he had been intending to say. "I don't know what game you're playing. I don't know if there really is some kind of conspiracy, or if you were lying, or if you're just playing some kind of complicated prank, but you need to stop. I am tired of it. I am tired of being ridiculed, being called crazy and a lunatic. My theories are valid, there is evidence, and if people would just-..."

Cameron didn't give him a chance to finish before he said, his voice softer than he really intended, "I know you are," and he would have continued, but he wasn't really sure there was anything he could say that would actually make it better. He doubted it, so he simply shrugged and stepped forward. He grabbed the front of Daniel's shirt, and it actually broke his heart when Daniel flinched from that. Like he had expected Cameron to follow that move through with a punch to the face.

Instead, Cameron used his momentum to close the hotel room door as he pushed Daniel firmly back against it. He moved his hands off of Daniel's shirt, one hand moving down to rest at Daniel's hip the other moving up to pull Daniel's glasses off gently before moving to cup his cheek and angle Daniel's head back. "What are you doing?" There was real steel in Daniel's voice, like he was prepared to stand up to Cameron if he needed to, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Cameron just shook his head, though. "I'm not fucking with you," he said, and Daniel opened his mouth to reply, probably to argue that that wasn't what it looked like to him, but Cameron slid the hand on Daniel's cheek back into his hair and pressed his mouth to Daniel’s before he could even say a word.

Daniel didn't react at first, his mouth caught open like he was about to say something. Probably, Cameron figured, he was going to argue with Cameron about something, mostly because that was what his Jackson enjoyed doing. Daniel's hesitation didn't last long, bringing his hands up to tangle in the fabric of Cameron's shirt. He leaned up into the kiss, his fingers tightening as Cameron moved closer, pressing Daniel harder back against the door, his fingers moving back to curl in Daniel's hair.

Longer than Cameron was used to, but he liked the way it felt against his fingers. Softer than Cameron would have expected, and Cameron raked his fingernails gently across Daniel's scalp, getting a gasp against his mouth in reply as Daniel broke the kiss. He fell back against the door, once again looking up at Cameron from the curtain of his hair.

"I don't...What are you _doing_?" Daniel's tone bordered between confused and wary, like he was still half expecting Cameron to hurt him in some way. Cameron also figured Daniel's real question wasn't so much 'what' but 'why', and Cameron didn't really have an explanation for that. He had feelings for Jackson, he just never had the chance to really explore them. Mostly because he figured Jackson had some thing going on with Vala, and Cameron had no idea why now was a good enough time as any.

Aside from the fact that this Daniel didn't come with near as much baggage.

Cameron coughed a little, smiling faintly as his eyes searched Daniel's face. "Well, I _was_ kissing you..." He said the words slowly, like he was trying to draw what Daniel was really getting at out of him.

"Yes. I got that, but why?" Cameron shrugged, letting go of Daniel and his glasses as he stepped back to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Seemed like a thing to do." Daniel huffed a little at that, shaking his head as he moved forward to stand right in front of Cameron. He was studying Cameron like he was an artifact now, stepping even closer until his legs were touching Cameron's. He knew that his explanation wasn't going to be enough for someone like Daniel, but Cameron wasn't willing to get into the truth. He wasn't willing to hurt a Daniel he didn't know just because he was actually doing this because he couldn't have the one he wanted.

He knew, absolutely knew, that that made him an asshole, and it probably should have made him stop and reconsider doing anything more, but Daniel was so close now, and the warmth he could feel coming off the other man was intoxicating. Cameron licked his lips and reached up, running his hands under Daniel's shirt. He brushed his fingers over Daniel's skin, and Cameron couldn't help the smile as Daniel's mouth went slack and his eyes fluttered closed. His fingers moved over Daniel's hipbone as the other man's breathing went shallow.

"Cam," Daniel managed, his voice rough as he tried to catch his breath. "You've got...stop that. It's distracting."

"That's kinda the point," Cameron replied with that same smile that still hadn't faded. Cameron did do as he was told, though, mostly, moving his hand to the small of Daniel's back and using that touch to urge Daniel closer, close enough to press his mouth to Daniel's stomach through his shirt. Daniel squirmed slightly against Cameron's hold, but not like he was trying to get away, but more like he was trying to get closer. Cameron moved his hands up Daniel's back, lifting his shirt as he went until there was enough skin for for him to actually kiss, wet and hot, without a shirt in the way.

When he ran his tongue along the curve of his stomach, Daniel's fingers tangled in Cameron's hair.

And pulled.

Hard.

"Ow! Hey!" Cameron pulled back enough to look up Daniel's body to meet the other man's eyes. Daniel simply lifted his eyebrows, and Cameron scowled at him as he rubbed the back of his head. "I want to, okay? No ulterior motives, I swear." He sighed, dropping his hands into his lap. "Is that really so hard to believe?"

"Considering you showed up, agreed with all of my crazy theories, and then invited me up to your room? Yes," Daniel said as he moved to sit on the bed next to Cameron.

"Maybe I enjoy picking up men in strange and exotic places?" Cameron couldn't actually finish that statement with a straight face. He wasn't the type, that much was obvious, and there were easier ways to pick up strangers, ones that didn't involve possible jeopardizing the safety of the United States and the world at large. "Or maybe it's just a coincidence." Honestly, Cameron knew all the arguments about why he shouldn't be there, knew that he shouldn't say another word, show Daniel the door, and get on with his sad and lonely life.

But he had never expected to be this close to Jackson, regardless of which one, regardless of the timeline. Daniel frowned at him, obviously not believing a word of it. "Seriously, Sunshine," Cameron continued, "I'm brash and impulsive, and I don't always think things through." That was as close to the truth as Cameron was willing to get right then, about the subject of kissing and touching Daniel Jackson, and it showed on his face.

Daniel was silent at that, going back to studying Cameron like he just didn't get it, didn't understand Cameron, didn't believe that this really was as innocent as Cameron said. Of course, that look sparked a faint feeling of guilt in Cameron gut, because he was lying to the man. He was close enough to using him for his own means, but before he could open his mouth to apologize, Daniel looked away from him, focusing his attention on anything in the room that wasn't Cameron. The silence that fell on them was awkward and heavy, but when Daniel finally looked back at Cameron, he lifted his chin.

Cameron knew that look. The determined, stubborn look that Cameron had seen on his Jackson's face many times. The one that said that he was going to get to the bottom of all of this if it killed him. Before Cameron could even think to say something else, Daniel's hands came up to his shoulders, and he was the one to lean in this time, his mouth covering Cameron's, his teeth tugging at Cameron's lower lip, and that was all the permission Cameron needed. His fingers worked the buttons of Daniel's shirt, not wanting to break the kiss to actually pull it off over Daniel's head. He just spread it open, baring more of Daniel's skin to Cameron's fingers.

This was different than he had expected. The Jackson he knew was all hard muscle and sinew while this Daniel was softer, smaller, less forceful because he hadn't had a lifetime of dealing with Jack O'Neill.

Not weak, though, Cameron doubted even Daniel Jackson at his most academic had ever been week, in any universe, and that was just driven home as he kissed down Daniel's neck. He knew he was never going to be the boss in this...whatever it was when Daniel's hand moved form his shoulders to his chin and moved his head back. Not rough, but a little demanding, enough to make Cameron mutter, "Bossy," but anything else he might have said disappeared out of his mind completely when he felt the palm of Daniel's hand rub against the bulge in his pants.

Cameron shifted his body, moving up and spreading his legs a little as he straddled Daniel's hips. He pulled his own shirt off over his head before leaning down and kissing Daniel again. His hand moved between their bodies, moving Daniel's hand out of the way. Not far, but enough to get the button on his jeans undone and his zipper down. He looked up to meet Daniel's eyes again, and he couldn't resist kissing him one more time.

Cameron was so focused on kissing Daniel, on the taste of the him - like sandalwood and woodsmoke - that he didn't even notice Daniel's hand until it had slipped inside Cameron's pants and wrapped around his dick. Cameron's hips bucked, thrusting into that strong, warm hand, the one with callouses in different places than the Jackson he knew. He broke the kiss with a muffled groan as his head bowed, his back arched, and his fingers curled hard in the sheets of the bed.

"Jesus, Daniel," Cameron muttered, in between gasps for air, right against Daniel's ear as his hips kept thrusting his cock in and out of Daniel's hand. He felt Daniel laugh, the sound rolling through both of them as Cameron curled closer. His hand moved away from the sheets to the front of Daniel's pants, and he pulled them open quickly, just so he could he could curve his own hand around Daniel's erection. Half to wipe the smirk off of Daniel's face, half to give himself something to focus on beyond the warmth spreading through his body, from the tightness of Daniel's hand, from the taste of him.

It didn't really work in either regard.

He made a sound that was almost like a growl deep in his throat, as he tried to match Daniel's movements with his own, but Cameron didn't really stand a chance. Daniel had all the angle and the leverage, and Cameron was easily distracted by the man beneath him, no matter how much he tried to focus, and Daniel was determined. His eyes remained on Cameron's face, his lips parted as he breathed, low and even (bastard was nowhere near as gone as Cameron was), and he sometimes had this wicked little smile that never stayed on his face for long, but it was there.

Cameron finally had to reached down and pushed Daniel's hand out of the way as he wrapped his hand around both of their cocks, pressing them together, as Cameron stroked them. Which got the reaction he was hoping for as Daniel sagged back against the bed, his neck arched, his mouth open a little wider as Cameron tightened his hand and began to both stroke and thrust against Daniel. The other man arched into him, his hips lifting and meeting Cameron's thrusts, providing just enough friction, just enough pressure, that Cameron knew he wasn't going to last long like this.

He tried to hold on, tried to focus on the way Daniel's cock throbbed against his, the almost feral sounds that both of them were making, the way both of their dicks were already slick with precome, how completely fucking beautiful Daniel looked, spread out beneath him, still mostly clothed. It was sexy and dirty and amazing, and that was the thought in his head as he felt that warmth build, spreading from his cock, up his spine, and back again.

He came, not even trying to muffle his voice as he shouted, "Jackson!" He was pretty sure he was never going to be able to see again. Or hear. Or breathe, but eventually the world returned to normal, and he found himself resting mostly on top of Daniel a sticky, warm, wet mess between them. He shifted back, lifting his hips to take some of the pressure off of Daniel, but he suddenly found the other man's hands holding him in place.

"More," Daniel said, his voice no longer rough, but quieter, heavy with lust and demanding, and the sound of it made Cameron laugh, softly as he leaned in to kiss Daniel.

"Greedy," was all he managed to say before Daniel moved suddenly, rolling them both over until Cameron was under him.

"Yes," Daniel said, simply and evenly as he kissed Cameron, using his weight to effectively pin Cameron to the bed.

"Thank God," Cameron muttered into the kiss, laughing as he let Daniel take control.

Hours later, feeling spent and used a thousand times over, it wasn't a sound that woke Cameron up, but intuition. Daniel hadn't moved, he was still sleeping on his stomach, one arm tossed over Cameron's waist, one leg over Cameron's thigh, and for a moment, Cameron turned his head without opening his eyes to nuzzle against Daniel's temple. He was warm. For the first time in months, he was happy, and he wasn't entirely sure why he was awake.

Which was right when the person standing in his room cleared his throat.

Cameron's hand pressed protectively against the small of Daniel's back as his eyes flew open to find two men standing at the foot of the small bed, both dressed in government-issued black suits, both of them staring at Cameron and Daniel with blank faces and cold eyes. A lot how O'Neill had looked at them when they were on the submarine.

"Mr. Mitchell, you are in violation of the agreement you signed before we allowed you out in public," the one to the right said, and Cameron sat up, dislodging Daniel and moving so that he was between Daniel and the men. CIA, probably, but it wasn't like anyone was flashing IDs at the moment.

"Colonel," he corrected, knowing they wouldn't listen, because no one listened anymore. He could hear Daniel waking up behind him, but he was smart enough, and not his Jackson enough, to keep quiet right then.

"You're being taken into custody for immediate return to the United States," the man continued without missing a beat, and Cameron scoffed at that.

"Oh, hell no. You people only said I couldn't have unauthorized contact with _my_ Jackson and Carter. You should have been clearer if you meant this one too," Cameron said, before he really thought about his words. He didn't have to look over his shoulder to know Daniel was watching him with narrowed eyes. He reached back, finding Daniel's hand in the covers and pulled it to him, squeezing once, just to let him know that he would explain everything. Hopefully. If they gave him a chance.

"Please get dressed, Mitchell. We will drag you out of here naked if we need to," the man said, and Cameron narrowed his eyes, knowing there was probably no way he could take two guys while making sure nothing happened to Daniel, and who really knew who these guys were. They might just shoot Daniel to take care of one of the witnesses. Cameron clenched his jaw before signaling for the men to wait a moment.

He turned to Daniel and leaned in to kiss him quickly. "I'll call when I get home. I'll explain everything," but Cameron knew he probably wouldn't get the chance. He already figured his cell phone was monitored, and this would probably only make it worse. With another quick kiss, one Daniel deepened this time before giving Cameron a stern look that only made Cameron smile and laugh as he got up. The man who hadn't spoken thrust pants and a shirt at him while the other gathered his bag, and as they led Cameron out of the room, he glanced back at Daniel one more time, watching the man on the bed just looking confused until Cameron couldn't see him anymore.

And when he got home, he was right. His passport was taken, and Cameron doubted he'd ever get another one. His cell phone was taken too, and he was given another one with a new number. One Cameron knew would be monitored even more than the other one.

That really left him with no choice. Back to a life filled with menial work, no excitement, and his thoughts always lingering on Jackson (two of them now, and sometimes both at the same time when things got really bad), but he kept his head down, he tried to make the best of it, and he tried his best to keep hoping that if he was good enough for long enough someone would slip up and stop watching him so closely.

Cameron never got the chance to find out, since almost a year to the day since they walked through the Stargate into this really, really fucked up timeline, Ba'al showed up.

And suddenly he was back with the team.

Most of the team. Off to make one last stand to save a world that wasn't really theirs and never had been.

It was that thought that was weighing on Cameron as he pulled the flight suit on. They were under orders to do what they needed to save _this_ world, not try and fix the one they came from, but it was almost torture, to have the solution to all of this so close and so far away at the same time. He got dressed in silence, and Jackson didn't appear to be inclined to say anything either, so that heavy silence filled the locker room.

It gave Cameron too much time to think, too much time to dwell, and too much time to stare at Jackson. Pulling on a flight suit was second nature to him at this point, and he could do it in his sleep. Or in the distracted state that Jackson tended to inspire in him anymore, and he didn't look away when Jackson sat down to pull his boots on, finally noticing Cameron staring and evenly meeting his eyes.

Cameron just gave him a tense smile and looked away, staring down at the zipper of the suit as he pulled it into place, sat down and pulled his own boots on. He was in the process of lacing them when Jackson stood and started toward the door without a word. Cameron was moving before he could think about it. Or stop himself as he grabbed Jackson's wrist and used both their combined momentum to turn and press Jackson against the locker.

He looked at him, square in the eyes, taking note of the little differences between this Jackson and the other one. The laugh lines, the little flecks of gray, and Cameron smiled as he moved his hand from Jackson's wrist to cup his neck. His fingers slid up into Jackson's hair as he leaned in, pressing his mouth to Jackson's.

The one similarity Jackson had with his counterpart was the hesitation. Or maybe Cameron's ability to catch them both by surprise, but it took a second for Jackson to relax into the kiss, his hands coming to Cameron's hips as his fingers tangled in the belt loops. Which Jackson only used to pull him closer, firmer against him as he parted his lips and Cameron could really taste Daniel Jackson. Nothing like the other one, and definitely, certainly _his_ , at least right then, for that moment.

Jackson broke the kiss first, and he looked at Cameron, his head canted slightly as he studied him from up close. His hands were still at Cameron's hips, and Cameron wasn't stepping away. Jackson opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped, licked his lips, and shook his head. With a smile, no less. A slight but genuine one, and Cameron couldn't stop the grin, fast and wide, that flashed across his face.

"Totally different,” Cameron muttered as he ran his fingers over his lower lip. No sandalwood, more woodsmoke. When Jackson looked up at him, mostly like Cameron was completely insane but with a little bit of confusion too, Cameron cleared his throat. “Sorry, Sunshine. Needed to do that before we go down in a blaze of glory." Before they died, or before they fixed the timeline if they could, before everything went back to normal with Vala, and Cameron being in love with Daniel from a distance, but mostly? Mostly because there was a very strong chance they wouldn't make it out of this alive. Jackson hummed thoughtfully at that, but before he could say anything, there was a knock at the door to the locker room.

Sam, probably, letting them know she was ready, the planes were ready, everything was ready.

Jackson's eyes flicked to the door then back to Cameron. He lifted his eyebrows slightly before pulling away and slipping out of Cameron's arms and away from the lockers. "Come on, Colonel. Let's go save the world one more time."  



End file.
